Mike, Alex, welcome back to the forge.
You've had five days at your home forge just to work
on your horseman's axes.
Mike, tell us about your weapon.
It's a little rough around the edges
but I think it will perform well,
and I can't wait to see it happen.
WILL: Alex?
Everything just fell into place
for me, even though I had to make some last minute changes.
And I'm looking forward to seeing it tear
apart some ballistics dummies.
All right, gentlemen.
Up first, the kill test.
Doug?
The horseman's ax is actually two weapons in one.
It's got an edge that can lascerate and chop
and a spike that can penetrate and crush bones.
To see what kind of lethal damage your ax will do,
I will take your horseman's ax and deliver lethal blows
on this ballistics dummy.
Mike, you're up first. You ready?
MIKE: Yes, I am.
[music playing]
[whispering]
Well Mike, let's talk about your weapon.
Your edge over here is sharp.
It lacerated deep into the bowels right here.
Your spike definitely caved in all the way into the chest
and straight into the heart.
The only issue we have is that your handle is
a little bit on the rounded side,
so there is a tendency to slightly roll.
But overall, your weapon will kill.
Thank you.
Alex, you're up next. You ready?
Yes.
DOUG: Let's do this.
ALEX: All right.
I'm pretty proud of what I created.
It's just a little heavy, and that's
a bit of a concern going in.
[music playing]
Sweet.
Alex, your weapon here is a little bit on the heavy side.
But you know what?
It is well balanced.
The edge of your blade here cut deep in the chest cavity
and it broke the bones.
Your spike here, right into the heart.
And of course, on the swing, it pretty much just disemboweled
the dummy right there.
Your weapon will kill.
Yes.
Thank you.
DOUG: Next up is the strength test.
Jake?
Now we know ice can be very brutal on an edge.
So I'm going to take your horseman's axes
and repeatedly strike into these large blocks of ice
to see how well they hold up.
Mike, you're up first. You ready?
Yes, I am.
Going into the ice block test, I'm
concerned there may be a fail point in the head handle area.
[music playing]
Well Mike, unfortunately we had a serious failure
on your ax with this weld point in the junction
of the belt hook.
Alex, you still have to pass this test.
You ready? - Yes, I'm ready.
There's only one thing standing between me and a $10,000 check,
and it's really big, and it's made of ice.
[music playing]
Alex, your horseman's ax did quite a job on that ice.
Everything's still tight, your edge is still razor sharp.
Thank you.
So all in all, very nicely done.
Bladesmiths, our weapons tests here
are designed to be exceptionally brutal
in order to set your weapons apart from one another.
Mike, your blade did not survive our strength test.
For that reason, I have to ask you to please leave the forge.
OK.
I am disappointed but when I go home,
I'm going to have a smile on my face.
Forged in fire has risen me from the dead somehow.
I will take this forward with me for the rest of my life.